Man repeatedly puts hands around woman's throat

Police are appealing for information after a man is said to have harassed and repeatedly assaulted a woman in Cirencester.

Gloucestershire Police said the incident happened in and around the 17 Black bar on Castle street in the early hours of Thursday morning.

During the incident, the man shouted at the woman, put his hands around her throat, dragged her down an alleyway, and later tried to sexually assault her.

Police would like to identify the man, who was white, aged to be in his mid 30s to early 40s, of a large build, and spoke with a London accent.

Gloucestershire Police said the man approached the woman, who he did not know, at around 01:00 GMT on 19 December and started a conversation.

After, the woman returned to the venue later, the man stopped her.

He started shouting at her and put his hands around her throat before dragging her down an alley near Coffee #1, where he made threats towards her.

The woman was able to get away from him and go back to the bar, but later tried to return to the alley to check if she had dropped any items, where she encountered the man again.

The man grabbed the woman by the throat again and attempted to sexually assault her, but stopped when two women passing the alley challenged him.

He followed the woman back to the bar and began harassing her. When a group of men intervened, he became aggressive and started throwing bottles at them before leaving the venue.

Police are asking for anyone with information to come forward.

The suspect was had short brown hair and stubble. He was wearing a black jacket, a white t-shirt and black trousers, and had a gap between his front teeth.

Officers said enquiries are ongoing and CCTV will be reviewed.

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.